Series 5 Episode 2: Dungeons and Dragons
by GallifreyGirl
Summary: It's Dylan's first trip in the TARDIS, and The Doctor's taking her to the middle ages! But a cowardly Knight, a squire that knows things no one on earth should and a rampaging dragon,mean another adventure for The Doctor and Dylan! Complete!
1. Prologue

Prologue

Sir Tomas Javelaxe steadied his horse, and adjusted his visor. His silver armour glinted in the mid-day sun, sending rainbow shards of light in every direction.

He gulped as he took in the cavernous mouth of the cave. Stalactites hanging from the top like teeth. He turned his head with a squeal of metal on metal, so he could see the distant shadow of the hill town. They were all counting on him, and he knew it. Sighing he kicked his mount forward.

The cave loomed towards him, the horse started to shy and wicker nervously. Sir Tomas pulled hard on the reins and brought his mount to a halt on the very edge of the cave.

"Steady boy, you stay out here, I'll be back soon." He murmured quietly as he dismounted. He patted the white stallion's neck before drawing his sword and advancing into the cave. The darkness swallowed him, the bright sunlight instantly gone, the cave was cold and bleak. Slime dripped down the walls and the squeak of bats high above his head unnerved Sir Tomas.

He had fought many enemies, and had taken part in countless battles, but he had never faced anything like what he saw sleeping at the back of the cave.

The beast lay curled tightly in a ball, its tail touching its long, scaly snout. Its loud, slow breathing filled the cavern, and steam billowed from its nostrils, which glowed inside like hot embers. Sharp vicious looking talons protruded from its humongous paws, and great leathery wings were folded carefully along its back.

Sir Tomas stood shaking in his boots, the sword clanging slightly as it hit his metal suit. _Pull yourself together Tomas, _he thought to himself, _you have a duty to fulfil. _He gingerly stepped forward and raised the sword above his head. He took a deep breath and was about to strike, when suddenly the monster lifted its head and yawned widely, displaying two glittering rows of teeth.

Sir Tomas looked down the throat of the gigantic beast and lost his nerve completely. Shrieking, he ran from the cave, dropping his sword on the way. It fell to the floor with a loud clang that echoed off the walls of the cave, followed swiftly by the sound of Sir Tomas' retreating hoof beats.

The beast blinked and stared after the strange, little man. It shook its head slightly and then curled back up before going back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Doctor scratched his head as he looked, confused, at the controls. This wasn't a good start, a new passenger and the TARDIS was giving him funny messages. Dylan looked at him expectantly from the other side of room. She raised her eyebrows as he grinned sheepishly back at her, before leaning forward to conceal his face amoungst various buttons and levers.

She sighed and turned away from the odd show, resting her back against the control panel. She glanced around the vast room, the strange green glow lighting her face. When The Doctor had suggested they take a trip back in time she had been dubious. All those stories you heard about changing the future and ending the world by doing something in the past, had been nagging on her mind. But The Doctor had said it was alright, so here she was, travelling back to the middle ages.

Dylan was still having a hard time adjusting to the fact she was currently sailing through time and space with a 904 year old alien. When he had told her age she had blanched a bit, but then he had started commenting on her age, and how she was the youngest person he had travelled with. 17 wasn't that young, Dylan thought, but then again he was 904 and everyone must seem quite young.

The Doctor was bashing the control panel again, his driving skills did worry Dylan. He didn't seem to know what he was doing, and likewise the surprised, but delighted, shout he let out now confirmed this thought.

"Here we are!!" He straightened up to look at her, a bright smile plastered across his face. Dylan turned around and looked at him quizzically.

"And where is here exactly?"

"The middle ages. 1099 to be exact, this is medieval Britain." The Doctor looked at Dylan expectantly. She raised her eyebrows, and a wide grin slowly crept across her face. The Doctor grinned back at her, his eyes shinning. This was what he loved about travelling with someone, showing them the stars and ages long since past, wonders that they could only dream of. A better life. This especially applied to the young orphan in front of him, she had no life before but now he could give her a new one.

They stood there for a second, grinning at each other, then Dylan dashed for the door.

"Whoa, whoa! Where do you think you're going?" Dylan stopped and looked at The Doctor confused.

"Outside, where'd you think?"

"Not like that you're not, you've got to change first." The Doctor turned and disappeared through a small door at the other end of the console room. Dylan looked down at her jeans and sweat shirt combination.

"Oh right, but I'm not wearing a dress!" she called after The Doctor as she followed him into the TARDIS' wardrobe.

"What else would a girl in this period wear? Now blue, or green?"

Dylan groaned.

~*~

The first thing that hit her was the smell. It knocked her back, making her gasp. The bile rose in Dylan's throat, clutching her hand to her mouth she blinked up at The Doctor. He smiled down at her.

"What do you think then, Dylan Harris? The middle ages." He spun in a circle in front of her, his arms spread wide.

"I think…it stinks." Dylan said, taking a quick breath in between words. She strode to The Doctor's side, the sky blue dress swirling around her feet.

He had made her, _people will notice if you don't, girls don't wear trousers in this era. _Dylan had been adamant against it, but she had made the best of a bad situation. She had chosen a simple blue dress, with darker blue twisted patterns around the neck and sleeves. It looked sort of nice and any other girl would have loved to have one, but not Dylan. She felt restricted and stupid. She scowled at The Doctor as he skipped along beside her.

"You look lovely, Dyl." He said, smiling kindly at her. But she could see the laughter in his eyes.

"Just like a princess." Now the laughter showed, he smirked at her, and her face darkened.

"Shut up." She muttered at him, but he was already guffawing.

The street they were walking down was small and muddy, there was no pavement under their feet and the ramshackle huts on either side made it seem even smaller. There were people in the doorways of some houses, mainly women and children, they looked at the odd pair as they passed. So out of place in their world, they had no idea. The Doctor hadn't changed, he still wore his big brown coat that flapped when he walked. Though he had switched his blue suit, for a brown pin-striped one. _Why didn't he have to fit in,_ Dylan grumbled to herself, tugging self-consciously at her hem. Though he was right, all the women in the street were wearing dresses similar to hers, only theirs were more worn and muddy.

Soon they walked free of the street and entered a wider road. Horse and carts trundled passed, carrying hay and goods. Stalls were set up along the edge of the road, their owners shouting out their prices and stock. The place was packed with people, and Dylan and The Doctor were soon lost in the crowds.

"This is amazing." Dylan exclaimed, turning her head wildly around, taking everything in. The Doctor glanced down at her smiling to himself, she was enjoying herself now. He grabbed hold of her hand, making sure she didn't run off in the direction of some stall or another.

"Stay close to me for now, this is your first tip and I don't want you getting lost on me." Dylan's smile turned into a grimace.

"I'm not a child." She protested.

"To me you are." The Doctor looked down his eyes intense, and Dylan could have sworn she saw genuine worry behind them. She stuck her tongue out at him, and he copied. They were soon weaving in and out of the crowds hand in hand, exploring this by-gone age.

Suddenly a shout went up from one end of the street, and it was quickly passed on until nearly everyone was screaming and running around in panic. The Doctor froze and twisted towards the commotion, his brow furrowed. Dylan was looking the same way, straining to hear what all the fuss was about. Women were grabbing children and shopping, the men were rushing around gathering pitchforks and torches. Whatever it was they were getting ready to fight it.

A tall dirty man ran into the pair, his eyes wide with fear. He took in The Doctor and Dylan, now the only ones not running around, and frowned.

"Quickly, hide, it'll be here any minute." He gabbled at them, dragging The Doctor by his shoulders with him. The Doctor fought against him, trying to calm him.

"What will? Tell me." The man looked at him in confusion and then said quickly, his voice thick with terror.

"The Dragon."

He let go of The Doctor and ran away down the street. The Doctor stared after him, open mouthed.

"The Dragon? But dragons don't exist, what is this some weird alternate middle ages where there are dragons?" Dylan spoke quickly, staring up at the stunned Doctor. He looked down at her slowly, his expression becoming stern.

"No, this isn't. So the question is why is there a dragon here?"

He looked down the street were the shout had first come from, and tightened his grip on Dylan's hand as a loud roar drowned out the people's screams.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lord Trenton sighed; he put down his carving knife and looked at the timid man in front of him. The messenger had interrupted his lunch and that never put him a good mood. Now the stupid idiot was stammering something about a dragon. Dragon indeed, there was no such thing. That sort of nonsense belonged in fairytales. He leant back in his chair and folded his huge hands over his plump stomach.

True, he had hired a knight from the nearby city to come and take a look at the situation, if only to shut the peasants up. But a fat lot of good he'd been, running from the town screaming like a little girl. Lord Trenton shook his head; you just couldn't get the men these days.

The messenger finally stopped babbling and stared at the silent figure in front of him. He gulped and fidgeted nervously, Lord Trenton looked at him silently for a minute then leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table in front of him.

"So, a dragon you say. I've already been through this with the towns folk, there isn't a dragon, just a large vicious animal that has to be destroyed." The Lord used a bored tone, speaking slowly. The messenger exhaled, frustrated.

"No! You don't understand there really is a dragon. We've seen it flying over the town, you should have seen it from here. Please you have to believe me, it's the truth!" The messenger stepped towards the table, his eyes pleading. Two guards appeared from the side of the room and blocked his way. Lord Trenton leaned back again, his expression exasperated. _Peasants, _he thought, _always letting their imaginations run away with them_. He pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and fore-finger, and sighed loudly.

"I've already tried to help with this supposed problem, and you're still not happy. Take him away." Lord Trenton waved his hand casually at the guards and turned his attention back to his steak.

The messenger kicked and shouted as the two heavily armed guards manhandled him out of the room.

"You can't just ignore this!!! It does exist, no matter what you say!! Help us for God sake."

His pleas were cut short by the big double doors closing behind him. Lord Trenton ignored him and carried on eating, _this really was very good steak._ His peace was shattered again by a loud crash as the double doors flew open. A tall, skinny man in a long overcoat and a brown tunic of some sort strode in, he was followed by a small, disgruntled looking girl in a blue dress and his two guards looking flustered and angry. _What now!_ He thought as he sat up straighter in his high backed oak chair. His fingers drummed impatiently on the arm, the man stopped at the end of his table a stupid grin fixed on his face. He was soon joined by the girl and then finally the two guards, they were wheezing and red in the face. Lord Trenton shook his head giving both of them a sour look, why could no one he employed do their jobs properly.

"Hello." The man didn't sound out of breath at all even though he must have run to get past the two guards. His bright, informal greeting irritated Lord Trenton almost as much as his odd and scruffy appearance.

"Who are you?" Lord Trenton narrowed his eyes, but the man just went on smiling. The girl beside him shifted uneasily, she shot a look of annoyance at the man then levelled her gaze on Lord Trenton.

"He's The Doctor and I'm Dylan." She said, sighing slightly. The Doctor's grin broadened, he suddenly leant forward slapping his palms on the oak table. Lord Trenton jumped in his seat, a shocked look crossing his face. He quickly composed himself and huffed out, "Well, what do you want? Just barging in here like this, I should have you thrown out immediately."

"But you haven't and you won't." The Doctor stared at Lord Trenton, his smile disappearing slowly. "I've been led to believe that you have a slight problem, involving a dragon." The Doctor's voice was low, with just a hint of excitement Dylan noted.

"Oh no, not more dragon nonsense. I've told the peasants, and now I'll tell you, there are no such things as dragons!" Lord Trenton glared at The Doctor's smooth, impassive face. The Doctor sniffed and straightened up.

"Ok fair enough, I suppose you're right. However, I think the man who owns the now burning mill will argue with you." He said this in a casual tone, turning gracefully on his heels towards the door. Dylan stayed where she was, a puzzled look on her face. Lord Trenton however sat up straighter and call after the retreating figure of The Doctor.

"No, wait, hang on! What did you say? A burning mill?"

The Doctor turned back to look at the fat, man sat at the end of the table.

"That's right, the dragon set fire to a mill in your town. But of course there are no such things as dragons, so it must have been something else, even though there are several eye witnesses." The Doctor had a smug expression on his face, and he winked conspicuously at Dylan, she rolled her eyes.

"It must have been vandals from the neighbouring town, Lord Sampson has had his eye on my land for years. I must investigate this at once, guards!" Lord Trenton heaved himself out of his chair and waddled around the table towards The Doctor.

"You will show me the way and tell me more about what you saw, leaving out all that dragon phooey." The Lord grabbed The Doctor and pulled him along beside him, the two guards following close behind swords at the ready. Dylan folded her hands behind her back and followed the procession out of the fortress and towards the town.

~*~

The Doctor looked pointedly at the ground near the Lord's feet.

The gigantic track showed clearly in the light of the smouldering mill.

"My word, what the blazes made that do you think?" Lord Trenton bent down to inspect it closely.

"I suspect it was the dragon." Dylan walked up behind the two men examining the paw print and looked down at them. The Doctor and Lord Trenton were both bent over the huge mark left in the mud by a large creature of some sort. The mill was still blazing in places, but it was mainly just pouting thick black smoke now.

"The…dragon!" Lord Trenton breathed the word nervously.

"Yup, hate to say I told you so m'lord, but…I told you so." The doctor titled his head to take in Lord Trenton's stunned expression.

"So where were we? Ahh, yes, so I believe you have a problem, and I believe I can be of assistance."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The cart's wheels sloshed through the muddy water on the road. The nearby forest edged each side like two dense green walls, they were occasionally broken by small dwellings. Tiny cottages with men chopping wood outside, or children playing with a stray dog, or a woman hanging out laundry. There didn't seem to be any fear in these people's eyes, the dragon obviously didn't come this far.

Dylan huffed as she was launched out of her seat again, the road was littered with stones and potholes and Dylan was beginning to miss tarmac. The Doctor bounced next to her, a childish grin on his face, he was loving this. The cart's owner had agreed to give them both a lift to the next hill town, this was where the hired Knight had apparently fled to and The Doctor wanted a word. Luckily it was only a short 5 hour trip, Dylan and grimaced at that fact and then yelped as a particularly nasty pothole sent her flying 2 feet in the air. Being from an age of fast moving vehicles, it was frustrating that a journey could take that long, but she supposed that was just a set-back to time-travel.

"Not much farther," the small, grubby man who owned the cart exclaimed, turning in his seat to take in the dishevelled Dylan and the excitable Doctor. "Bout 2 hours now." Dylan groaned and rested her exhausted head against The Doctor's shoulder.

Gradually the bumpy motion of the cart made Dylan's eyes droop and she was soon breathing quietly in her sleep. The Doctor looked down at her sleeping face and smiled, she wasn't as bad when she was sleeping, she was a lot quieter for one thing. He had missed having someone with him, Dylan shifted in her sleep as the cart juddered under them. The Doctor wrapped his arm around her, and looked at the countryside around them as the cart slowly made its way towards the neighbouring town.

~*~

The sun was low in the sky when Dylan opened her eyes again. She stretched and straightened up from The Doctor's shoulder. He looked at her with an amused expression on his face.

"How long was I out?" Dylan asked yawning.

"Exactly 2 hours, aren't you lucky. We're here now." The Doctor pointed ahead of them, out over a vast patch-work of fields a hillock rose, on its crown was a small walled town back lit by the setting sun. Dylan rubbed her eyes and looked back at The Doctor, "So I guess we'll have to find a place to stay before we can look for this knight."

"I think you've slept enough don't you? We can start looking when we get there."

"In the dark?"

"Yup"

"In a strange medieval town?"

"Yup"

"When there's most likely going to be murders and thieves roaming around?"

"Probably" The Doctor beamed at her and she glowered back.

"Great!" Dylan leant her back against The Doctor's shoulder and stare at the road they had come from. The Doctor smirked, and ruffled her hair.

"Don't tell I never make you work for this." He said as the cart slowly made its way up the slope to the town.

This was the town of Frome and they had just left Trowbridge, the two towns had been locked in a vicious rivalry since they could remember. The two Lords who own the towns and land around them would never see eye to eye. Lord Trenton of Trowbridge was certain the dragon was something to do with the town of Frome. The Doctor had been exasperated by his stubbornness in not believing that the dragon was real, Lord Trenton thought it was hoax set up by his rival Lord Graham. The Doctor had gone along with this and had asked Lord Trenton for directions to the neighbouring town so he could talk to the Lord of Frome about this 'trick' he was playing on Trowbridge. They were, however, going to talk to hired knight who had fled to Frome after his shock, and was now residing there with his squire.

Frome was a larger town than Trowbridge, the streets were cobbled instead of muddy and the houses were in better condition even in the poor district. Lord Graham, it was believed, was a much better 'Lord and Master' than his tubby counterpart.

Dylan stretched her aching joints and slide off the cart, whilst The Doctor leapt down nimbly. He thanked their driver, who accepted The Doctor's payment with a yellowing smile and then trundled off down the street his cart clattering on the road. The Doctor swivelled to face Dylan and slight grimace crossing his expression.

"Whenever I come to the middle ages, I always consider inventing toothpaste a decade or so early." He sniffed and then turned around in a wide circle, surveying the darkening streets.

"Nicer town you have to admit. Unfortunately, also bigger, so we'd better ask where this Sir Javelaxe is staying."

"Why didn't we just take the TARDIS? My muscles are aching after that nightmare ride." Dylan winced as she pushed her arms above and tried to keep pace with the now striding Doctor.

"'Cos the TARDIS is quite noticeable in these times, and I thought it'd be nice to see the scenery on the way here." He turned his head to grin at Dylan.

"Yeah, it was enchanting." She muttered sarcastically, under her breath.

"Excuse me." The Doctor had spotted an old woman sweeping her front-steps, and he was now striding forward bent at the waist so he could look directly at her. She looked at his stunned, and then backed away a few steps.

"You the tax man? 'Cos I ain't got it alright," Her expression was now fierce as she looked The Doctor up and down.

"No, no I'm not. I was just wondering if you knew where a certain Sir Javelaxe, recently employed by Lord Trenton was staying." He spoke in a low, soft voice, and not for the first time Dylan marvelled at how charming he could be. As if the prove this point the old woman smiled, her eyes twinkling as she leant towards The Doctor.

"Why yes'm, I believe I do deary. He's staying at the Coat and Arms down the road there." She pointed one knarled hand the direction she was saying and then asked sweetly, "Anything else I can do for you love?"

"No, that's quite alright. You've helped us out a lot, thanks." The Doctor straightened up and beckoned for Dylan to follow as he walked the way she had pointed.

"You old smoothy." Dylan smirked up at him.

"Yup, still got it."

The Coat and Arms was a bit dingy and dirty, and the sound of loud laughter and cheering could be heard from within. The Doctor took Dylan's hand as he prepared to push the door open, and said warily, "Not really the sort of place you expect a knight to stay is it?" But just as he was about to enter, the door burst open and a dishevelled, quite clearly drunken man staggered out.

"The Dragon is coming, I swear it's true, all of it. I stare right into its eyes, those blood red eyes." He lurched into The Doctor a look of terror on his face.

"Whoa steady there." The Doctor held his uncertainly looking at Dylan.

"May I be correct in saying I have the pleasure in talking to Sir Tomas Javelaxe?"

"You'd be right sir." A small blonde boy walked towards them an apologetic look in his hazel eyes. "He's my master, and a good master too. Only recently he's taken a turn for the worst. I'm Elwin by the way."

"Hello Elwin, I was hoping to talk to your master, but it seems he's in no fit state to say anything at the moment." The Doctor hefted the drunken knight up-right and placed his arm around his shoulders. "Can you tell me where his room is, I think he needs a lie down."

Elwin looked at The Doctor for a second as if assessing him, then nodded and motioned with his hand for him to follow. The Doctor smiled and whispered to Dylan from the corner of his mouth.

"The pig is in the sty."

"Thank you Alpha-one-bravo." Dylan whispered back, as she held the door open for The Doctor and his cargo.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry this has taken awhile. Been busy with school work. Anyway, here's the next chapter and i hope to finish this episode soon. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

Tomas Javelaxe gave a loud gasp as the icy water hit him full in the face. He was propped up in a filthy looking bed, set in one of the Inn's small rooms. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus his eyes on whoever had violated him in this way. His vision cleared and he took in the figure of a tall, skinny man holding a wooden bucket and grinning at him.

"There we go, that's better isn't it?" The man said brightly, "now we can talk like sensible men."

Sir Tomas wiped the remaining water from his eyes and glowered at the stranger, he then noticed the other people in the room. He frowned at the girl stood just to the side of the man, she was looking at him apologetically, and he recognised the other small, blonde boy as his squire Elwin. What was he doing allowing these strangers into his room, and letting them douse him in cold water of all things. Elwin was looking nervously up at the stranger, the man was still looking at Tomas with a triumphant expression on his face.

"Sir Tomas, my name's The Doctor and this is Dylan." The Doctor gestured towards the girl who waved at him, raising her eyebrows slightly. "We need to talk to you about the dragon in Trowbridge you were sent to dispatch."

Sir Tomas started slightly making the bed shake violently, all traces of his annoyance towards the rude awakening vanished.

"The d-d-dragon!" He stuttered gripping the bed linen tightly. The Doctor's expression deepened to concern, he placed the bucket down gently and sat on the end of the bed.

"Yes, the dragon. You saw it didn't you?"

"Aye, I saw it." Sir Tomas breathed in deeply and looked directly at The Doctor, "And I hope never to see anything like that again in this world."

"Ahh well, see, that's my point. There shouldn't be anything like that in this world. I need to know where it lives, no one else knows you see as you were the only one brave enough to track it down."

"Hang on, you want to find it?!" Sir Tomas stared open mouthed at The Doctor. "You must be mad. That thing is monstrous; it's the devil on earth I swear."

The Doctor scratched his head and sniffed, "Maybe, but I've never been very sane." He leant forward and clasped both of Sir Tomas' hands. "So where be the monster eh?"

"There is a cave in the woods North of Trowbridge, the dragon lives there. Or at least that is where it returns after destroying the nearby farms."

The Doctor straightened up smiling, "Thank you, Sir Javelaxe." He stood up and steered Dylan towards the door. They were halfway down the corridor when a small voice called after them.

"Wait!" The Doctor turned and smiled as Elwin ran towards them.

"Hello Elwin, what is it?" Elwin stopped in front of them panting, his eyes were bright and his face was drawn.

"My master neglected to tell you, the dragon is not the first wonder to occur in Trowbridge."

"Oh." The Doctor raised his eyebrows, his eyes becoming keen and focused on the new mystery.

"A few months before the dragon appeared, peasants in Trowbridge spotted a strange sight in the sky. A falling star they said, it landed in the North woods not far from the dragon's cave."

"Really?" The Doctor turned to look at Dylan. "I think that warrants a look don't you think Dyl?"

"Most definitely Doctor." She turned to smile at Elwin. "Did Sir Javelaxe investigate this?"

Elwin shook his blonde head, "No, he didn't feel the two were connected." The boy made a face, The Doctor grinned at him.

"But you disagreed?" Elwin nodded, bashfully. "Good man!" The Doctor clapped him on the back.

"For that you can help us by joining our little expedition."

So saying they ventured back through the busy tavern and out into the street.

~*~

"You can't be serious?"

Dylan looked nervously at the scruffy, brown horse stood in front of her.

"Yup, I'm serious. Come on Dylan, it'll be fun. Besides, there are no more carts travelling to Trowbridge because of the dragon situation." The Doctor looked down at her from his giant black mount. Dylan sighed and grabbed hold of the saddle and pulled herself up, the horse snorted and pawed impatiently at the ground. She adjusted her dress and sat glaring at The Doctor.

"You're meant to sit side saddle Dyl." He said suppressing a laugh.

"I look stupid enough without ending up in the dirt, I'd prefer to stay on the horse thank you."

The Doctor chuckled and kicked his horse forward. The stable hand holding Dylan's horse looked uncertainly up at her.

"Her name is Feather miss. She'll look after you don' worry."

Dylan nodded and kicked her horse tentatively forward. Elwin followed behind the two of them on his small pony, grinning widely.

"I have never been out without my master sir. Nor have I accompanied him on quests, so this is quite the adventure."

The Doctor turned to the boy with a frown, "Don't call me sir Elwin."

"How long have you been with Sir Tomas Elwin?"

"Four months next week sir…Doctor."

"That's not long. What did you do before?"

"Ummm, to tell the truth I can't remember. I was found by him not far from Frome, I cannot remember anything before that."

"Hmmm." The Doctor turned back to face the road. The sun was nearing its highest point, midday, and they were many miles from Trowbridge.

"And you two, you do not look like you from this area. Indeed, this time."

The Doctor turned back, sharply pulling his horse to a stop. Dylan frantically pulled at her horse's reins but continued down the road. The Doctor looked darkly at Elwin.

"What did you say?" Elwin shrank back from the Doctor's stare.

"Nothing, just that you don't seemed to fit in." The dark look vanished and a smile replaced it.

"Good, well then shall we continue?" The Doctor kicked his horse on, and left Elwin staring stunned behind.

~*~

The North woods were dark and grim looking. The three companions sat on their mounts staring up at the black trunks.

"The North woods eh? The dragon could've picked a better spot." Dylan turned to The Doctor, he was sat staring straight into the woods.

"Where's the cave Elwin? Did Sir Tomas say?"

"He did Doctor, I'll lead. I have a head for directions." The boy kicked his pony into the shadow of the trees, and disappeared.

"Well, after you Dyl."

"Let's go hunting dragons."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I don't know what I agreed to back at the Orphanage, but I'm starting to regret it now." Dylan was staring fixedly at the dark, dank opening of the cave. It was exactly the kind of setting you would imagine a medieval, damsel stealing, farm destroying dragon to inhabit. The Doctor was grinning from ear to ear, he glanced down at Dylan and raised his eyebrows.

"You don't mean that Dyl, you're loving this really. I know I am."

"Really, you haven't seen a dragon before?"

"Nope. Isn't it fantastic!" The Doctor swivelled around to face the third member of their party, "What about you Elwin? Excited?" The small blonde boy stared dumbly back at him, "It's a dragon in there, aren't you scared?"

"No, never am. Well, almost never. Well, there are moments. Anyway, shall we enter?"

Dylan turned to look at Elwin, apologetically adding,"Don't worry he's always like this." Before following The Doctor gingerly into the cave.

"Dylan, I'm sensing a certain reluctance about your person." The Doctor was holding the Sonic Screwdriver at eye level, it was admitting a high-pitched whirring sound, lighting The Doctor's in an eerie blue glow.

"A little bit, I suppose it has to do with the fact that I'm in a cold, very dark cave looking for a giant fire breathing dragon, in a dress." Dylan looked up at The Doctor's face, he surveyed her over the top of a pair of thick rimmed glasses.

"Well, that's good because I was really beginning to think you were having second thoughts for a moment."

Dylan grabbed his arm suddenly, a worried frown puckering her forehead.

"No! God no! I love all this, going back in time. It's amazing, I was only joking." The Doctor smiled warmly at her.

"I'm glad you think so, because I forgot how much fun it was travelling with someone. I was ready to never have a companion again after…well, after

what happened. But then I met you."

They stared at each other for a minute, then The Doctor sniffed and Dylan shook her head.

"Right, well. Enough of that, where's this dragon then? Elwin, you there?"

"Yes Doctor!"

The Doctor walked deeper into the cave swinging the Sonic Screwdriver in front of him. Elwin and Dylan followed behind, being careful to avoid the slimy, cold walls of the cave. A constant dripping accompanied them, now and again rocks could be heard crashing from the ceiling making Elwin and Dylan jump. But they kept on walking deeper and deeper into the earth, suddenly the ground began to slope downwards and the temperature dropped.

"How much farther Doctor?" Dylan's voice echoed of the walls making her whisper sound like a bellow, The Doctor turned switching off the Sonic plunging them all into darkness.

"We're here." He said tonelessly from Dylan's shoulder making her start.

"And where is here exactly?" Dylan whispered back, her voice shaking slightly. Elwin reached out and clutched her hand, she squeezed reassuringly.

"The end of the line, can't you here it?"

Dylan strained her ears, she could hear the relentless dripping still and the quiet movements of the boy beside her, but what was that? A low rumbling could be made out further down the tunnel. It was even and steady, like something breathing deep inside the cave. Occasionally, she could make out a scarping sound, like claws scratching against stone. Dylan blinked slowly, her eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, she could see the outlines of The Doctor and Elwin, and the dark, wet walls of the cave. Silently, she looked up at The Doctor's still face, he was staring off into the blackness, where the breathing was coming from.

"Come on." The Doctor clutched Dylan's hand and pulled her gently after him, Elwin tightened his grip on Dylan as well. The three of them walked towards the dragon, linked together. The rumbling got louder, and Dylan could definitely make out the slow grating of scales on stone now.

They rounded a corner and The Doctor stopped suddenly causing Dylan to collide with his back with a thud. She let out a winded, 'Oof', and glared fiercely at The Doctor's back. She opened her mouth to complain at the sudden halt and then shut it with a snap. In front of them she could see a colossal shadow, it reached from the floor to the ceiling, a full 30ft high. It was moving rhythmically in time to the breathing, and Dylan could feel the ground beneath her shaking as it moved.

She blinked rapidly, the darkness around her starting to melt as shapes and colours appeared. She could clearly see the walls on either side of them and the water running down them, she could also pick out the detail in The Doctor's coat. And now she could clearly see the creature curled up in front of her. The shadow had gone, it was replaced by wall of bright scales, it was still to dark to see what colour they were, but Dylan was interested in the two huge feet she could see. They were _massive, _the size of dustbin lids, and they were capped by five glittering claws. The claws shifted creating the scraping sound again, and Dylan clutched tightly at The Doctor.

He looked down at her, and winked.

_Oh no, now what?_ She thought, _what was he planning? _

The Doctor detached himself from her and tip-toed silently towards the sleeping dragon. Elwin nudged Dylan and looked at her questioningly. Dylan sighed at him and shrugged. The Doctor was in touching distance now, he could feel the heat coming off the creature. He reached into his coat pocket and carefully pulled out a battered stethoscope. Fixing it in his ears, he leant forward and placed the other end of the scaly side of the dragon. A slow smile spread across his face, "Amazing." He whispered to himself as he drew back from the dragon. Removing the stethoscope he turned to the two waiting figures. Gingerly, he began to make his way back, grinning as he went.

"It's real. It's 100% there alright. Not a hologram or an android, it's living, breathing flesh and blood."

"Well, of course it's real, look at it." Dylan squeaked at the approaching Doctor. The Doctor rolled his eyes causing Dylan to retort sharply in a whisper, "I saw that!" The Doctor chuckled and lost his concentration for a second, he caught his foot against a piece of fallen rock and sent it clattering into the darkness. The sound bounced of the walls, making it sound like a hundred pieces of rock had just been kicked flying. The Doctor winced, Elwin squeaked in fright, and Dylan clapped her hand to her face. _Idiot_.

There was silence for a second, then the rumbling kicked up a notch and the walls began to shake, sending more debris cascading down on the trio. The dragon shifted and from amongst the mass of scales a neck appeared, then a head. It stretched up, opening its jaws to reveal rows of glistening white teeth. A sudden burst of flame launched out from between its fangs and the dim cave was suddenly ablaze with light. The Doctor bounded to Dylan and Elwin's side, pushing them behind him so they were shielded from the now very active dragon. It swung its head down and fixed The Doctor with a pair of Sapphire blue eyes. They seemed to glow in the dark cave, it blinked a few times then remained still.

Dylan swallowed nervously, and peeked out from behind The Doctor's protective stance. She stared into the eyes of the dragon and was surprised. They weren't the eyes of a monster, terrifying yes, but there was no bloodlust in them or rage. They seemed almost…intelligent.

There was silence in the cave. The Doctor remained as still as the dragon, they seemed to be staring each other out. _Why don't we run! _Thought Dylan. Suddenly, The Doctor straightened; his face became alert and confused. The dragon blinked slowly at him again, then The Doctor smiled and stepped to the side. Dylan froze, _what was he doing?_ Elwin was beginning to hurt her hand he was grasping it so tight, but she didn't notice, all she could see was the dragon's huge head turning towards her. Her heart was ice.

"It's alright." The Doctor's voice sounded too loud in the deathly quiet. He was standing well out of the way, grinning. Dylan pursed her lips, if she lived through this he was going to get such a slap.

The dragon lower its head until its eye was level with Dylan. Dylan stared back, unable to move. Then a soft voice filled her head, and she felt utterly calm.

_Don't be afraid human. I mean you no harm__._

Dylan's mouth dropped open and she stares into the endless blue of the dragon's eye.

"It's okay, she's just checking you out."

"She?" Dylan's voice was overly loud, probably due to the fear and total confusion she was experiencing at the moment.

_Yes, I am what you would call female._

"Oh. How are you talking to me? Your…um…mouth isn't moving."

_I am speaking to you through my thoughts, no one else can hear us. Just like you could not hear me when I spoke to the Time-Lord._

"Time-Lord. You know what he is?"

_There are few species in this universe who do not know a Time-Lord when they see one._

"Well I didn't." Dylan muttered, folding her arms. The dragon shook suddenly, and a thin wisp of smoke issued from between her jaws, along with a strange whining sound. It took Dylan awhile to realise she was laughing at her.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Doctor sat cross legged on the cave floor. Dylan was seated on his right side and Elwin on his left. The dragon was sat in front of them, her arched neck brushing against the ceiling and her head hovering at their height. The Doctor had produced a number of candles from pockets in his coat and the dragon had lighted them. The walls flickered in their unsteady light, and Dylan could see the dragon clearly for the first time.

Her scales glittered in the candle-light; they were rainbow hues not the traditional red or green of dragons in storybooks. Her wings were folded neatly along her back; they appeared to be covered in feathers of varying shades of blue. She was a very beautiful creature, and she sat staring at each of them with her sapphire eyes. A steady humming omitted from her.

She had agreed to open up her telepathic field so they could all hear her thoughts. The Doctor was calmly explaining to Elwin and Dylan what was going on, as he already seemed to know.

"She's not really a dragon." He babbled excitedly, "she's more of an inter-galactic bodyguard. She's from a species called Maddigans, they live on the planet Felspoon, where the mountains sway in the breeze. It's also home to very intelligent sentient beings called Halons, they're up there with Time-Lords on the IQ scale. Both these species have lived harmoniously on the same planet for millennia, the Halons rule and the Maddigans protect them. When a Halon travels to a different world a Maddigan goes with it to ensure its safety, but to blend in both the Halon and the Maddigan change their forms."

Dylan leant forward her eyes bright, "Like the chameleon circuit on the TARDIS." The Doctor smiled down at her.

"Yes, exactly like that."

"But hang on, of all the things to change yourself into, why a mythical creature?" Dylan looked questioningly at the Maddigan. She shifted slightly, and Dylan could have sworn she looked embarrassed.

_Our knowledge of this planet was limited. We searched the archives of this period and found stories of great beast called dragons. We thought they inhabited this planet, so I took on its form._

The Doctor turned towards the Maddigan crouched in front of him. "So where's your charge?"

The Maddigan sighed and lifted her humongous shoulders slowly in what looked like a shrug.

_Alas, I have lost him. He arrived before me on this world, I do not know how long as time is measured differently on this world._ _I have been searching, but every time I go out the humans run around and shout and throw things at me. It makes it very hard to concentrate._

The small blonde boy, who had been silent since the Maddigan woke up, suddenly piqued up, "Hang on, there was that falling star before you arrived. The one the locals saw fall in the woods." The Doctor frowned in concentration. "The falling star." He mumbled.

"Falling star…THE FALLING STAR!!"

Dylan jumped, causing her to bruise her behind on the hard, stone floor. She glared at The Doctor as he leapt up and started pacing.

"Yes, that's it. The Halon crash landed here causing the Maddigan to follow, 'cause usually they stay in orbit around the planet, keeping a low profile. But the botched landing meant the Maddigan was called down by the spaceship to help." The Doctor paused and turned to towards her silent figure. "Ami right so far?"

_Yes, but by the time I got here my charge was gone and already disguised for this world. I cannot find him now._

The Doctor ran a hand through his already messy brown hair.

"Hmm, evidently your charge has forgotten who they really are in the crash, otherwise they would have gone back to the spaceship and alerted you. Who exactly was your charge if you don't mind me asking?"

The Maddigan swelled slightly with importance. _I was protecting a member of the Royal Family, Prince Tyron. _The Doctor blanched.

"A prince. Wow, what was he doing here?"

_He was completing his Journey of Age. A rite of passage for all Halons to become mature. He was to become King once we returned._

"Ah, big problem then."

_Indeed._

Dylan glanced from one to the other, a perplexed and frustrated expression on her face.

"What?! What is it?" The Doctor turned to her his hand stuck to his head and a pained look in his eyes.

"If the lost Halon is that important, it means others will soon be arriving with the impression he's in danger here."

"But how can they know?"

"The Maddigan sends out a distress call automatically when she is attacked."

Dylan frowned. "But she hasn't been attacked. The spaceship crashed, that's all."

The Doctor stared at her for a minute, and then pursed his lips.

"Dylan, she has been attacked. The villagers, and Sir Javelaxe, they all acted in hostile ways towards her. It's not her fault, she was only doing what her instincts told her to do."

The Maddigan blinked slowly at Dylan, an apologetic look in her eyes.

_I am sorry. I could not help it, when I first went out I was so taken aback by the response I provoked, it just happened._

"But that means there's an armada of aliens coming to claim their Prince by any means necessary. Mostly violent means."

The Doctor nodded solemnly, "Yup." Dylan suddenly became animated.

"So how _do _we find a camouflaged alien with amnesia in Medieval England?"

"First I think we should have a look at its spaceship don't you?" The Doctor glanced down at Dylan and Elwin, then he swivelled and marched out the way they had come.

"Can you show us the way Maddy?" The giant creature sighed slightly as she stood up, scraping her back on the roof of the cave. Staying in a crouch she followed The Doctor to the exit. Dylan raised her eyebrows and offered her hand to Elwin, heaving him off the stone floor she said wearily, "Come on, we better go and make sure he doesn't get into any trouble. Though with The Doctor that's going to be a hard task."

Elwin giggled nervously and trotted along behind Dylan's stride.

~*~

The forest was getting dark, and The Doctor had to use a torch he had produced from the folds of his coat. He swung the beam of light enthusiastically around, illuminating the densely packed undergrowth in front of them.

Maddy was flying some metres above them, skimming the forest canopy with her claws. Occasionally she would send a shower of twigs and insects raining down on the three below. Dylan shuddered as a particularly large caterpillar landed in the vicinity of her shoulder. Quickly she swiped it off and hurried her pace to catch up with The Doctor's reseeding back. Elwin looked quizzically at her as a torrent of ants joined the party causing Dylan to grit her teeth audibly.

"They're only bugs." Elwin commented with some confusion. Dylan squirmed and looked down at him with a pained expression on her face.

"I know, but I've had a bad experience with them before."

Elwin became interested, "What happened?"

"Well, they attacked my home, killed my friend, kidnapped me and then tried to inhabit the Earth by devouring every single human."

Elwin's eyes widened, "Oh, well fair enough." The two walked on in silence for a moment.

"Dylan?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Is it always like this with The Doctor?"

"Pretty much."

"And do you like it?" Dylan paused for a second, then glanced down at Elwin's small figure beside her and smiled.

"Yes."

"Oi, you two. Planning on joining me any time today?"

The Doctor was a few metres ahead of them, they could see Maddy circling over a spot in the distance. Clearly their destination. Dylan grabbed hold of Elwin and jogged to The Doctor's side. He flashed the beam of the torch in their direction, Elwin squinted at the torch suspiciously.

"It's just through here." The Doctor pushed his way through a particularly stubborn bush and promptly disappeared.

Dylan rushed forward only to stop suddenly on the edge of a deep trench. It was a gulley the length of a football pitch, Dylan could see Maddy in the distance as she landed at the other end. She could just about make out a dark shadow resting in the dirt, that must be the spaceship. The Doctor huffed as he clambered out of the pit, he straightened up and brushed the soil quickly from his coat.

"Are you ok?" Dylan asked choking back a laugh. The Doctor's face was impassive as he ruffled his hair spraying dirt on her.

"Slight loss of dignity, but other than that fine." So saying he trudge off towards the waiting Maddigan. Dylan giggled into her hand as she followed with Elwin.

The Halon spaceship was sleek and sophisticated looking craft, even though it was singed and a bit battered it still showed the signs of being created by a higher intelligence. The Doctor whistled appreciatively and shoved a pair of glasses onto his head as leant towards the glimmering ship.

"Wow, I haven't seen a ship like this in a long time." He ran a hand over its surface, then he scanned it with the Sonic Screwdriver.

"A lot of damage though. It would take awhile to repair." Maddy tilted her head to one side as she surveyed The Doctor.

_No, not if the owner returns and uses their bio-metric signature to trigger the repair system._

The Doctor nodded slowly then heaved himself out of the crater the ship lay in and returned to Dylan's side.

"Hmm. I guess that's also how we stop the oncoming army from attacking the Earth?" Maddy nodded.

"So, all the Prince has to do is touch it and it will repair itself and call off the hounds." The Doctor turned quickly to face Elwin who had just spoken.

"Correct. But how did you know that?" Elwin frowned and looked at The Doctor sheepishly.

"You just said."

The Doctor's face darkened, "No, Maddy said that a bio-metric signature was needed. So how did you know that meant touching it?"

Elwin shrank back as The Doctor glowered at him, a deathly silence fell. Finally Elwin managed to squeak, "Lucky guess I suppose." The Doctor's face suddenly lightened and he clapped Elwin on the shoulder.

"Yeah, lucky guess." Dylan looked bemused at The Doctor and could have sworn she saw a small hint of that dark mood swing still in The Doctor's eyes.

Maddy pricked up her ears and whipped her head round to stare at the dark undergrowth of the forest. The Doctor also stiffened and hurriedly turned in the same direction.

"Uh oh, we've got visitors."

"Who?" Dylan asked frantically. She could now hear the sound of people thrashing through the woods.

"It seems old Lord Trenton got fed up waiting for our return and sent out scouts to find us." Dylan relaxed slightly. "Well that's not so bad."

"No, but his scouts told him we were travelling to the suspected site of the dragon's lair. He thinks we're in cahoots with his rival."

The crashing was getting nearer, Maddy tensed and suddenly launched herself into the air. She vanished from sight with a whoosh. The Doctor herded Dylan and Elwin into some nearby bushes and told them to stay quiet.

"Why? Where are you going?"

"Someone's got to greet the party." The Doctor winked cheekily at Dylan, but before she could protest he had stepped back out into the clearing. Just as twenty soldiers burst into view.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Heya, sorry this took so long, i've been doing my A levels. Thank god they're over. Anyway, I intend to finish my series over the summer hols, thanks to all those reading this still. Next chapter soon!! :)**

Chapter 7

The Doctor adjusted his position against the cold wall of the dungeon. He sighed and looked around, this was the problem with prisons they were so boring.

He had been flung unceremoniously in by two heavily armed guards three hours ago. And after searching for a weak spot in the walls with the Sonic Screwdriver, had flung himself down in a heap on the floor.

There was a small barred window high up the wall, to high for him to see out of, but shafts of moonlight streamed through onto the dungeon floor. In the sliver light The Doctor could make out the confined room he was in. There were manacles hanging from the wall, luckily he hadn't been chained up. He shuffled his feet and placed his hands behind his head, suddenly a high-pitched beeping made him jump. It was coming from the general region of his pocket, rooting around he produced his Sonic Screwdriver. It was flashing and bleeping at him frantically.

"Ooo." The Doctor held the Sonic up, pointing it towards the window. The bleeping increased.

"Well, that's not good. I thought we had more time than that." The Doctor leapt up causing his coat to flap wildly around him. He began to wave the Sonic around as if searching for a signal.

"They're close, too close. We don't have enough time."

A loud clanging broke The Doctor's concentration. The dungeon was flooded with flickering candlelight from the corridor outside. Two guards, probably the same ones that had man-handled The Doctor earlier, marched in dragging a struggling figure between them.

"Unhand me you swine! Let me go I said"

The Guards shoved the man down onto the prison floor, laughing they shut the candlelight back out and left the dungeon in darkness.

The Doctor lowered his Sonic Screwdriver and walked over to the slumped figure.

"You alright?" He bent down and placed a concerned hand on the man's back.

"I'm fine, it's just I wish they would learn some manners. It's not right them treating me like that." The Doctor grasped a shoulder and pulled the man up revealing his face in the moonlight.

"Ah, hello again Sir Tomas."

~*~

Dylan crashed through the foliage, swiping at branches and bushes muttering as she went. Elwin jogged along behind her, desperately trying to keep up.

"So typical, he brings us out into the middle of nowhere and then goes and gets himself arrested." Dylan fumed as she marched along in the darkness. She had no idea where she was headed, after watching The Doctor get dragged away by twenty armed soldiers she had taken off after them. Pretty soon however, she had lost the trail they had made and was now wandering in the dark woods completely lost.

Dylan let out a frustrated cry and collapsed against a near by tree. Elwin reached her gasping for breath.

"Where are we?" she asked the small boy in desperation.

"I don't know. I've never been in here before. I only knew how to get to the cave because Sir Tomas told me."

Dylan sobbed and held her head in hands. "Great. I'm lost in a medieval wood with an alien dragon that seems to have flown off somewhere, and an impending armada advancing on Earth to blow it to bits. To top it off The Doctor's been taken prisoner and I'm in a dress!"

Elwin looked at her warily, then started as a loud neigh rang out through the surrounding wood. Dylan raised her head and stared into the darkness.

"What was that?"

Another high-pitched neigh broke the silence. Elwin shook Dylan's arm, a grin spreading across his face.

"It's the horses. We're at the edge of the woods." He let go and began to run towards the sound. Dylan scrambled up and sprinted after him.

"Wait up Elwin!" _God this kid was fast when he wanted to be. _All of a sudden she burst out into the cool night air; she stood on the vast grasslands that separated the forest from Trowbridge. She could see the town vaguely in the distance, the castle lights glinting in the darkness. She looked around for Elwin and saw him standing a few feet away stroking the nose of his pony. Behind him stood The Doctor's terrifying black mount and her grumpy mare, Feathers. Feathers pawed at the ground and snorted violently at Dylan as if to say, _where have you been._

Dylan walked cautiously over, keeping her eyes on the big, black horse. Tentatively she grabbed Feathers reins and then reached over for The Doctor's horse. He stamped making her jump, but didn't pull away when she caught his bridle. She looked back at Elwin, he was already in the saddle of his pony, he beamed down at her.

"We can find The Doctor now."

"What do you mean find?" Dylan asked frustrated, "We know where he is, it's getting him out of that castle that's the problem."

"We'll just explain to Lord Trenton that The Doctor is innocent, and the only man that can help."

Dylan snorted, "Yeah like that'll work."

"We can try." Elwin frowned at Dylan stubbornly. She chuckled and turned back to the two horses by her.

"I guess this means more riding then." She sighed, as she wedged her foot into Feathers' stirrup. Feathers ducked her head as Dylan dragged herself onto her back. Tying the black stallion's reins to her saddle Dylan kicked them over to where Elwin was waiting.

"Shall we?" She said indicating the small town in the distance.

"Let's" Elwin replied clicking to his mount and trotting off over the grass. Reluctantly Dylan followed.

~*~

The Doctor propped Sir Tomas against one of the dungeon walls. He groaned and tilted his head back.

"Are you ok?" The Doctor asked, laying a concerned hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, but I'm still recovering from the un-dignified capture I had to endure."

"Tell me about it" The Doctor huffed theatrically, rolling his eyes, "there are just _no_ manners in the 11th century."

Sir Tomas narrowed his eyes at The Doctor, but didn't pursue his odd comment. The Doctor dropped himself down by the knight and leant back against the cold stone wall. Looking up he watched as the moon shifted behind the clouds. He was missing his Sonic Screwdriver terribly, they had searched him once they had reached the castle and had thrown in it in a pile of other prisoner's belongings. _Of all the times not to have it_, he thought as he glanced wistfully at the wrought-iron door.

"Did they tell you why you've been arrested?" The Doctor asked taking in Sir Tomas' profile. The knight sighed and turned to face him.

"As a matter-of-fact yes they did. They also told me why you are here Doctor, as the two cases seem to be linked."

The Doctor frowned, "What do you mean?" Sir Tomas sighed and leant his head on the wall staring at The Doctor intently.

"You are here because Lord Trenton believes you are a spy of Lord Graham's, he thinks you came over here to ignite the already volatile situation of the dragon." The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows, a disbelieving look entering his face.

"But that ludicrous, I offered my help to him. I was trying to find out what was going on."

"Lord Trenton is paranoid, he has been for some time. He suspects everyone is out to take his land from him, or cheat him out of his money. It wouldn't matter if you had sworn allegiance to him right then and there, he would have still suspected you."

The Doctor stood up suddenly, frustration flashing in his eyes. "Stupid man!" He ran a hand through his already messy hair, turning in small, quick circles.

"He's denying the existence of this creature, and by locking me up he's bringing an even bigger threat down on us."

Sir Tomas raised his eyebrows in question, but The Doctor continued pacing restlessly. He stopped suddenly making the increasingly confused knight jump.

"Hang on, why exactly were you arrested?" Sir Tomas sifted and sighed again.

"I was brought here because Lord Trenton found out I told you where the dragon was." The Doctor stepped towards him, his hand outstretched.

"But Lord Trenton doesn't believe in the dragon. So why would he arrest you for giving me directions to an imaginary creature's lair?" Sir Tomas shrugged.

"Unless…oh yes! That's it. When did Lord Trenton start becoming paranoid exactly?"

"Umm, I'd say around four months ago."

"Four months exactly." The Doctor smiled. "Lord Trenton saw that falling star, he saw it land in the woods on his land. He must have had his scouts find out what it was and decided it was worth something. It explains the paranoia, and the belief that his rival is plotting against him by placing this dragon in the woods next to the crash site."

Sir Tomas looked incredulously at The Doctor, he hadn't understood half of what he had said. The Doctor's moment of excitement had passed and he was stood silently looking up at the barred window. The moonlight illuminated his face, his expression was impassive.

"But none of that matters now, as an alien armada is on its way to Earth and I have no idea how to get out of here."

The distant sounds of the dungeon reached his ears, and the steady progression of the clouds across the sky cast shadows on The Doctor's face. But The Doctor didn't even blink because for the first time in his life, he had absolutely no ideas.

~*~

The plain was awash with moonlight, and the town of Trowbridge was a shadow in the distance. Dylan shifted in the saddle, frustration was starting to show as not matter how fast they went, the town didn't seem to be getting any closer. She pulled on the reins and brought Feathers and the black horse to a halt. Calling to Elwin in the distance she dismounted and stretched. It was getting close to dawn, and the horizon was beginning to lighten. Elwin trotted his pony back to where Dylan was standing, a bemused expression on his face.

"Dyl, we would get there faster if you would go faster than a trot."

Dylan rested a hand on Feathers' neck and glared at Elwin. "I'm not really the best rider in the world Elwin, and I also have to tow The Doctor's horse behind me so my top speed is going to be limited."

"At this rate we won't get there before tomorrow afternoon, and The Doctor said the Halons would arrive soon."

Elwin glanced nervously at the sky, "We'll just have to hope they don't decide to attack straight away."

"Maybe if Maddy could reason with them." Dylan suggested hopefully.

"No, the Maddigan can't call off the distress signal until we've found that Prince." Elwin responded in a distant voice.

"What? How did you know that?" Dylan narrowed her eyes at the small boy, who was now staring wide eyed at her.

"I-I don't know. I thought The Doctor told us that." Dylan sniffed and looked back at the North woods. They didn't seem to be any further away than when they had started out.

"Where is that alien dragon anyway? First sign of danger and she flies off back to her cave. Some royal body guard she is."

Suddenly a shrill whistling, like wind blowing through a drafty house, reached their ears. the grass on the plain around them was whipped into a frenzy, and a loud booming rhythm sounded above them. Dylan looked up and saw the glittering under-belly of the Maddigan just in time. Feathers and the stallion reared and pulled themselves loose galloping off towards Trowbridge. Elwin's pony was doing its best to dismount him, bucking and throwing its head up its eyes rolling at the sight of the terrifying beast above them. Elwin leapt off and let the pony chase after the rapidly retreating figures of their mounts.

Maddy lowered herself gracefully down now that she had a landing space, and raised her huge feathery wings high before tucking them neatly against her sides. She swung her large head around to face a disgruntled looking Dylan. She gave a hard stare to the dragon shaped alien in front of her, her arms folded in front of her.

"I hope you plan on giving us a lift." Her annoyance at their lack of transport, and her increasing anxiety for The Doctor's well-being, drove all fear of this huge creature out of her. Maddy blinked slowly at the girl, and the corners of her mouth twitched at glare she was being given. With a deep rumble she lowered her belly onto the plain, crouching in front of the two figures.

_Hop on._


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The sun was just beginning to show on the East horizon, the dark night sky giving way to pale rays. To the west however, the sky was still pitch black, with millions of stars twinkling in the void. Dylan had never seen so many stars, there were only a limited few she could see from the orphanage window back in Cardiff. The streetlights created too much light pollution. But here, in an electric light free world, the sky was awash with star-light.

Maddy was flying high above the clouds to prevent any early rising peasants getting a nasty shock. The clouds created a thick barrier between them and the town below, the Easterly light tinting them orange.

A harsh breeze hit Dylan in the face, stinging her eyes and forcing tears to stream down her face. She was glad of the close floor of cloud, as she couldn't see how far up they were. She had a feeling that if she fainted up here, she wouldn't be waking up again. Subconsciously she tightened her grip on Maddy's rough scales, as the dragon-alien adjusted her wings slightly, tilting them to the side. Elwin was sat behind her, his arms securely fastened around her waist. He whimpered slightly as Maddy turned in the air.

"How much farther?" Dylan shouted into the wind.

She had been surprised, when they had first risen above the clouds, to find that she could breathe easily. But then Maddy had told her that the Maddigans didn't have their own spaceship or fly in their charge's, they flew through space by their own power. By holding an atmosphere in telekinetic force field around them, they could breathe and safely pass through the vacuum of space. Maddy was maintaining the same air pressure as that on the ground. Dylan was amazed by the idea that these creatures could just fly through space, as easily as a bird flew through the sky. But that was evolution for you.

_We are above the Castle now_

So saying Maddy tilted her wings down and began to descend through the bitterly cold clouds. Dylan clamped her mouth shut as her stomach felt like it was being left back above the clouds. She risked letting go with one hand to wipe away the dew on her face, blinking she glanced quickly down at the dim landscape below them. Elwin gave a sharp intake of breath as he stared at the castle in the morning light. The castle was a black shadow set on the hillside. Maddy swooped in closer, and began to drift around it.

_We must find The Doctor._

Dylan twisted around to face Elwin's up-turned and frightened face.

"You've been here before El, where are the dungeons?"

"On the West side, at the bottom of the tower. Sir Javelaxe pointed them out to me when we came here last."

Maddy turned sharply in the direction of the West side of the castle, making sure to keep in the shadows to avoid detection. She hovered, keeping parallel with the huge stone tower, her wings causing small hurricanes below them on the courtyard.

_We haven't long. The people will be waking up soon, find a way in quickly._

She lowered her colossal body down, and landed gracefully on the cobbled ground. Dylan slide off and reached up to catch Elwin, they then ran together to the shadow of the tower. Hugging the tower closely, Dylan glanced back at the Maddigan. She was crouched by the outer wall, her azure eyes burning in the gloom. She would keep a look out for them, all they had to worry about was finding The Doctor.

"Come on." Dylan whispered to Elwin, taking hold of his hand and edging them around the base of the tower. She scanned the rough stone wall, searching for a sign of the dungeon. Finally, she spotted a small grated window level with their feet. Dylan signalled to Elwin to stay quiet and keep watch as sure lowered herself onto her belly and shuffled towards the opening.

The room it looked into was pitch black, even with the low light outside. Dylan squinted and could make out a wall opposite her, she adjusted her body so she could angle her head down. The tower went down into the ground, and the cold air of the dungeon hit her, along with the strong smell of decay. Wrinkling her nose Dylan hissed down into the blackness.

"Doctor?"

A shadow detached itself from the gloom below. "Dyl, is that you?" She could just make out a pair of warm brown eyes twinkling back at her. The floor wasn't as far down as she had thought. If she stretched her arm down and The Doctor jumped up, they would touch.

"How you doing down there?" Dylan whispered back, a grin stretching across her face. Now that she had found him, a weight seemed to have lifted from her shoulders.

"I'm dandy. How 'bout you?"

"Oh you know, flying to besiege a castle dungeon from the back of an alien dragon, and racing against time to save the world from potential destruction." The Doctor sifted uneasily below her.

"Yeah, about that. We have less time than I thought." Dylan frowned, although The Doctor didn't see it as she was only a silhouette in the window.

"What do you mean 'less time'?" The Doctor shuffled his feet and looked down at the floor.

"Well…you see…"

"Get on with it." Dylan growled at him. The Doctor looked up, all humour gone from his face.

"They're here."

"They're here! NOW!" Dylan jumped and smacked her head on the top of tiny opening.

"Yup." The Doctor looked around the cell he was in. "You got any ideas how to get me out?"

"I thought you would've." Dylan replied rubbing her head.

"No, I haven't."

"Fat lot of good you are. I thought you were supposed to be a genius?"

The Doctor looked insulted, "I am, but all geniuses can get stumped. And right now I'm stumped."

"Defeated by a medieval cell, I don't know." Dylan raised her eyes and disappeared from view.

"Dyl? DYLAN!"

Dylan's head reappeared, "What?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Well it just so happens I've got a rather large dragon out back, that could be of some assistance. Wait here."

The Doctor folded his arms, a petulant expression fixed on his face. "It's not exactly like I'm going anywhere fast. God I hate dungeons, always ruin the fun." He turned to face Sir Tomas, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I need to get my Sonic back, and I think you can help now." The knight looked uneasily at The Doctor.

"What are you planning?"

"Just…go along with what I do. And play dead." Sir Tomas stared perplexed as The Doctor bounded up the stairs to the iron door, and banged enthusiastically on it. The loud booms echoed through off the walls, and eventually footsteps could be heard.

"Stop that banging you dog!" The Doctor withdrew his hand and sniffed.

"Not exactly creative with the insults are they."

"Oi, I 'eard that." An indignant voice shouted back.

"Good." Muttered swearing could be heard from the other side, then the scrape of a key as it turned in the lock. The Doctor grinned and bounced back a few steps, his hands clasped behind his back. As soon as the heavy door swung open The Doctor adopted an innocent expression, and tilted his head to one side as a disgruntled looking guard walked in.

"Something the matter officer?" The Doctor asked in cockney accent. The guard frowned and pointed a stubby finger in The Doctor's face.

"Shut up you. I've had enough of your cheek. You're lucky the Master hasn't order your execution yet, though I don't suppose it'll take long."

"Yeeah." The Doctor batted the guard's finger away and walked towards him. "I'll keep it simple, as probably can't deal with words bigger then 'it'. I was deprived of a certain object I was carrying when I was sooooo lovingly thrown in here, and I would like it back please."

The guard frowned, taken aback by a prisoner talking to him like this. "Why do ya need it?" The Doctor turned and pointed at Sir Tomas who was slumped against the wall doing a good job of playing dead, or if not dead, playing pretty unhealthy. The guard stared at the still figure, "What's wrong with him?"

"He's got a case of the brain fever, and my device could be the only thing that would save his life. You wouldn't want a Knight dying on you watch now would you?" The Doctor had placed an arm around the guard's shoulders.

"Errr, no, no I wouldn't. The Master would kill me."

"Well, go and get it then." The Doctor steered the guard towards the door and then turned back to the 'invalid' Knight.

"Bravo, excellent acting old boy." The Doctor clapped as Sir Tomas raised his head to look at him.

"Why didn't you do this before?"

"It wouldn't have worked, now I know a rescue is under-way we have a quick escape route."

The guard's rapid footsteps and wheezing returned. He entered with the Sonic Screwdriver clutched in his sweaty hand.

"Here." He huffed handing it to The Doctor. He took it gingerly off him and wiped it on his jacket.

"Thanks."

"Quickly, make him better. I had to tell my superior why you needed it, and now he's gone to fetch Lord Trenton." The Doctor turned away from in time to see a shadow block the dawn's rays streaming through the window.

"About that, Sir Tomas is fine." As if to demonstrate the Knight got up and walked over to The Doctor. "But you're going to have to explain why Lord Trenton has now been summoned to an empty cell."

There was a teeth jangling squeal as the iron bars were suddenly ripped off the window above. The three men were showered with dust from the broken stone and all looked up as Dylan stuck her head through the large hole Maddy had created.

"Doctor! Come on!" The Doctor saluted the astonished guard and jumped up to grab Dylan and Elwin's outstretched hands. He disappeared through the hole, and Sir Tomas was quickly pulled up as well, leaving a stunned and dust coated guard standing in an empty cell. He swallowed nervously as he heard the approaching footsteps of Lord Trenton.

~*~

"Good rescue. Couldn't have done it better myself, well…"

"Yeah alright, stop talking and get a move on, we have to find this hidden alien before the Earth is blown up."

The Doctor was bounding through the courtyard Dylan, Elwin and Sir Tomas close behind. When they reached the West wall The Doctor swivelled to face them.

"No need to look, I've found him."

"You have? But how, you've been stuck in a dungeon for most of the night?" The Doctor gave a smug smile, "Oh, I've known for quite some time Dylan Harris."

The sound of a bell rang out across courtyard, and the shouting of guards soon accompanied it.

"Ooo, time to go I think."

Maddy landed on the wall next to them, Sir Tomas looked at her in alarm.

"Good God! It's the creature!"

"Don't worry Sir Tomas she won't hurt you." Elwin reassured the startled Knight.

_Quickly, they are beginning they're attack._

She lowered her tail and The Doctor grasped it pulling himself up the wall and onto the Maddigan's back. Guards began to appear in the courtyard with them, running towards them waving swords. Dylan ran to the wall and quickly scrambled up behind The Doctor. The first few guards had caught sight of Maddy now, and they paused briefly fear clear in their eyes. But they were soon running again, getting closer to Sir Tomas and Elwin. The Doctor leaned towards them and shouted, "Come on! Elwin get on!"

"Sir Tomas we have to go." Elwin was tugging on his master's arm, but the Knight shook his head and pushed the boy towards the wall.

"Go child. I'm riding on that beast, besides someone has to give you time to escape."

"No! Come on Sir Tomas!" The Doctor was desperate now.

"I'm not leaving you sir." Elwin stayed still, making no attempt to scale the wall. Sir Tomas gave a short laugh, and turned to face the advancing guards.

"Go. And Doctor, good luck." Sir Tomas ran forwards as the first guard reached him. He punched him full in the face and took the sword from the unconscious body.

"FORWARD!" He bellowed as he charged into the mass of armour and sharp steel. Elwin made to run after him, but The Doctor jumped down and grabbed him around the waist. He dragged him back to the wall and lifted him kicking and struggling up to Dylan. She placed him firmly in front of her, keeping a firm grip on the small boy. The Doctor was soon back on Maddy, seated behind her and had just wrapped his arms securely around her waist when Maddy tensed and launched herself off the wall. The figure of Sir Tomas surrounded by guards shrank below them.

Maddy twisted in midair and faced the forest. Dylan looked up and in the now blue sky she could make out a dozen black objects. _They're here._ She nudged The Doctor with her elbow and jerked her head up to show where she was looking. The Doctor stiffened behind her, and his arms tightened around her. As they stared at the alien armada above, a bright flash of orange appeared from one of the ships. Dylan only had time to take sharp breath before there was the sound of a collision, and they were suddenly falling free-falling. Dylan couldn't scream, there was a huge pressure on her chest, she couldn't even breathe. The Doctor had pressed his face into her neck and was trying desperately to protect her. Elwin was enclosed in her arms, and whimpered as the ground came to meet them. Maddy let out an unearthly wail as she plummeted towards the Earth, taking The Doctor, Dylan and Elwin with her.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's still reading this. I know this is taking me awhile, sorry about that. Anyway, this is the penultimate chapter so enjoy. Please review if you can. :) **

Chapter 9

Dylan kept her eyes shut tight; she didn't want to see the ground below her spinning as it came to meet her. She had barely left the Orphanage and now she was going to die before she was even born. She braced herself for the evitable, but just as Maddy was about to crash into the Earth she folded her wings over them.

Dylan felt the thud as they crashed, but the wall of feathers shielding her protected her from the impact. Dylan felt Maddy slide along the ground, the roar of breaking earth and stone deafening her. Finally, everything was still and Dylan let out her breath. Opening her eyes a crack she could see the solid multi-coloured wall of feathers in front of her. The Doctor was breathing slowly behind her, his arms still wrapped around her.

"Are you ok? He asked quietly into her ear. Dylan nodded; she didn't trust herself to open her mouth, which had been clamped shut since they began to fall.

"Elwin?" The Doctor asked tentatively. Dylan felt movement between her arms, and a small blonde head poke out and turned to look at her.

"I'm fine." It squeaked at them.

The Doctor pushed on the heavy wing that was covering them, and tumbled out onto the grass of the plain. Dylan and Elwin followed shakily and then saw the mass of glittering scales next to them.

"Oh my God! Maddy are you alright?!" Dylan yelped running over to the blue heap. It stirred slowly, and eventually Maddy's head swung round to look at them.

_Are you hurt?_

Dylan laid a concerned hand on the Maddigan's side. "No we all fine. What about you?"

_I fear my wings have been damaged, but not enough to stop me flying. Unfortunately, I doubt I will be able to carry any of you now. _Her eyes focused on The Doctor. He sighed and ran a hand through his dishevelled hair.

"We _have _to get to that crash site." As if to highlight the point, another loud boom echoed across the plain and a pillar of fire collided with the Earth a few feet away. The ground shook with the force of the explosion and screams could be heard from the nearby town. The sudden noise was added to by a deafening crash, as the large wooden gates protecting Trowbridge were thrown open. The Doctor looked up sharply as a shrill whinny reached them, a grin stretching across his face as three equine shadows trotted out from amongst some sparse vegetation.

"I wouldn't worry too much Maddy, looks like we've got our original transport back." The Doctor bounded over to the black stallion that had bolted away across the plain with the other horses. He patted the horses' neck enthusiastically and beamed at Dylan.

"Let's ride!" Dylan rolled her eyes and jogged over to Feather.

"Hello again." She said to the scruffy horse in front of her. The Doctor leapt onto his horses' back, followed quickly by Elwin and Dylan onto theirs. The sound of hoof-beats suddenly joined the general cacophony, clattering out of the town came dozens of mounted guards.

"Quickly, we have to reach the North Forest before the Halons blow it up." The Doctor shouted over his shoulder as he gave his an almighty kick, sending it galloping off across the plain. Dylan groaned and held on tightly to Feather's mane as she too kicked her into a frenzied gallop, she could see Elwin keeping pace with her, the surrounding countryside a blur. Above them the armada had decided to go on the offensive, columns of fire hurtled down to either side of them, Dylan had to hold the reins firmly to stop her horse from spooking too much. She could see The Doctor looking wildly from side to side as the alien warships destroyed the plain around them. They were obviously targeting Trowbridge before they progressed to a full scale, planet annihilation.

"Dylan! Behind us!" The shout came from Elwin who was looking back towards the town. Dylan followed suit and saw the mounted guards were gaining on them. What was worse was that some had produced bows and were deftly fitting arrows to them as she watched.

"Crap." Dylan swore, but she didn't have time to warn The Doctor as just then a fiery missile from the crafts above crashed into the Earth in front of her. Feather reared, letting out a piercing whinny of fright. Dylan clung on desperately and shut her eyes tight. She faintly heard the sound of another missile being launched and the soft whoosh as it rushed to meet her. Feather planted her hooves back on the ground and Dylan looked up tentatively. The sky was bright with fire as the missile hurtled towards her.

Suddenly the red of the approaching missile was replaced with a dazzling blue blur. The two colours collided for an instant and were then gone, leaving a clear sky and a very confused Dylan below. An almighty roar ripped through the distant booms of the alien weapons and the shouts of the pursuing guards. The Doctor had stopped his horse and was looking up, a small smile lighting up his face. Dylan couldn't breathe as the humongous figure of the Maddigan hung suspended in mid-air facing them. Her wings were outstretched and her mouth was opened wide exposing rows of razors sharp teeth.

As the astounded guards stared at her a deep rumbling growl built up in her chest and echoed around the plain. All this had lasted only a brief second, and before Dylan could blink Maddy had folded her wings with a snap and shot towards the guards with a ferocious snarl. She swooped low over their startled heads and up into the clouds.

"Come on!" The Doctor was grinning at Dylan, but it faded quickly as the spaceships sent another torrent of fire to Earth.

The chase began again, but this time with the guards looking fearfully over their shoulders. Arrows started to fly close to Dylan's and Elwin's faces, hissing as they pasted by their ears. Dylan leant over her mare's neck and urged her on. Eventually, all three horses were running side by side, Dylan looked over at The Doctor. He stared fixedly ahead, his mouth set in a thin line and his eyes burning with concentration. She could now hear the twang of bow strings behind them, mixed with shouting and the occasional roar from Maddy. The forest loomed ahead of them, at the speed they were going it wouldn't take long to get there. The thrum of hoof-beats would have been relaxing if it wasn't for life threatening danger around them.

"We haven't got long," The Doctor's voice was low, but it still carried over the wind being cause by their break neck speed. "They're scanning the area but the Prince is still hidden. We have to get to that craft."

"But I still don't understand!" Dylan shouted back, "we haven't found the Prince." The Doctor gave her an intense look then focused his attention back on the forest.

There was very little countryside left now and the armada had slowed in their attack. _Obviously decided their next move_, thought Dylan. The cries of the guards was also getting distant and she was just beginning to think they would make it when a piercingly hot pain stabbed through her head. She couldn't see, and her head was now spinning, through squinting eyes she could just make out The Doctor and Elwin in similar agony. The Doctor had his teeth bared and was lying on his horse's neck. As soon as the pain had come it was gone again replaced with an almost eerie calm.

Dylan noticed the horses had stopped, and she looked around to try and make out what had just happened. The Doctor was sat bolt upright staring into space.

"Oh no." He almost whispered.

"What? What is it?" Dylan's voice rose in panic. But she didn't need to wait for an answer. A heart-breaking shriek rang in her ears and before she could figure out where it had come from she saw a large blue object falling towards them.

Maddy had been hit. Not a near miss on the wing, but a bull's eye to the chest. She tried to control her rapid decent, but it was no use. In a fit of agony and despair she opened her mouth and let out a white-hot jet of fire. It shot across in front of them, a wall of flames blocking them from the forest. Too for gone to realise her mistake, Maddy crashed in a heap on the other side. Her limbs looked bent and her beautiful wings were crumpled. Dylan fought back tears, but The Doctor was looking not at the fallen creature but behind them.

The mounted guards could see their opportunity and were regrouping for another attack. With their flying guardian down, and with there escape blocked they were sitting ducks.

Dylan looked at The Doctor wildly, "What do we do Doctor?" His head was snapping from side to side looking for a way out. "Doctor?!"

"Ummmmm…I'm working on it." The guards were forming a line, taking their time not that their quarry was static. The Doctor gave the wall of fire a long hard stare and then wheeled his horse around to face the guards.

"What are you doing?" Dylan asked as The Doctor cantered his horse away from them.

"Just…follow my lead." Dylan tensed and after a moments hesitation followed him with Elwin in tow. The Doctor turned his horse sharply again and waited for Dylan and Elwin to join him. They were now a good few metres from their original position, and the guards were beginning to trot towards them.

"You trust me right?" The Doctor suddenly asked turning towards Dylan. His eyes were large and Dylan could see fear burning in them, but also a little excitement. She looked from The Doctor to the flames and back again.

"Oooooh no." She said shaking her head fiercely. The Doctor's face broke into a huge beaming smile.

"Oh yes." He said, kicking his horse forward into a gallop.

"I reeeeaaallly don't want to do this." Dylan grimaced as she grabbed a hunk of Feather's mane and kicked hard. The mare leapt forward with a squeal, digging her haunches into the earth and tearing after The Doctor. She just had time to see Elwin follow suit before the flames overwhelmed her vision.

~*~

The Doctor's elbows waggled wildly as he raced towards the inferno. He had no idea if this would work; the wall was a good 15 feet high. But as always The Doctor didn't care, he lived for moments like these. He whooped at his horse as the flames got closer, the great black charger lengthened his stride. He could hear Dylan shouting obscenities from behind him, but The Doctor only tightened his grip on the reins and leant forward as the flames got closer.

The Doctor tensed as the heat hit his face. The horse faltered for only a second before his hind legs pushed off from the ground and launched himself and The Doctor over the crackling flames. The Doctor felt the heat intensify, and for a moment he was suspended over the fire, the orange and red tongues licking at his horse's hooves. Then everything sped up and the horse landed with a thud on the other side, the forest seeming darker after the brilliant fire.

The Doctor twisted in the saddle in time to see a terrified looking Dylan leap over the flames, followed closely by Elwin who folded over the saddle like a professional show-jumper. Dylan charged up to The Doctor's side and he was amused to see she was holding onto her horse's mane so tight her knuckles were white.

"I'm so going to get you back for that E.T." The Doctor raised his eyebrows at the nickname and then shrugged.

"Hey, it's a more exciting life than what you had before, and you can't argue with that." Dylan scowled at him.

"Come on then. It'll take those guards a while to get through that fire so let's make the most of it." The Doctor didn't bother to dismount he just steered his horse into the dense undergrowth of the forest, shouting back over his shoulder. "Once more into the breech."

"Huzzah." Dylan muttered to Elwin as they trotted after him. She was beginning to see a familiar pattern.

~*~

The forest was eerily quiet after the mayhem on the plain. As they weaved through the trunks Dylan started to feel uneasy. The spaceships had stopped their bombardment a while ago, and the smell of burning drifted through the trees.

In the sudden peace the horror at what had happened hit home. Dylan's eyes began to mist, poor Maddy, shot down by the very species she lived to protect. They hadn't even had time to stop, but that's what life with The Doctor was like. Always moving on. The Doctor was deep in concentration, even though the attack had stopped his shoulders remained tense.

The sun was now high in the sky but no sunlight penetrated the dense canopy. The thud of the horses hoof was amplified in the dim quiet. They were nearing the crash site when all of a sudden the quiet was shattered again.

The sound of the alien weapons could be heard clearly in the forest. Dylan and Elwin jumped when the first boom sounded amongst the trees. The Doctor looked at the sky briefly before focusing on the trail again. Elwin shivered beside Dylan and gave her an odd look.

"They're getting ready to use the plasma bombs. There will be very little left of Trowbridge or indeed this country in a few moments." Dylan frowned and looked at The Doctor. He just stared blankly at Elwin and turned back to the trail.

They broke through the underbrush to the sound of another aggressive bombardment. The crash of breaking trees could be heard as well, they were attacking the forest. The Doctor dismounted quickly in the clearing and helped Dylan down off her horse.

"So?" Dylan folded her arms and looked down at the inanimate space craft.

"So." The Doctor replied staring down into the crater.

"I thought you said you knew who the Prince was?"

"I do." The Doctor's face remained impassive as he swivelled to look at Elwin. Dylan followed his gaze and blanched.

"Really?" The Doctor didn't move.

"You don't think it's me do you?" Elwin's eyes were wide with panic.

"You have no memory of a life before a few months ago when Sir Tomas found you not far from here. You've said some things that an 11th century boy shouldn't really know, and you've generally just given off a weird vibe."

"Hmmm, scientific." Dylan muttered out the corner of her mouth. The Doctor glared at her.

"I pretty much figured it out when you mentioned we seemed out of our time."

Dylan's frown deepened, "Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Elwin…or Prince Tyron as he should be called, has to know his true identity. Otherwise, touching the ship will do nothing. It will only activate when he knows he an alien."

Elwin was backing away, his hands stretched out in front of him. "No it can't be. I'm human." The Doctor advanced on him cautiously.

"No Elwin, you're as human as I am." The boy stopped in his tracks and stared open mouthed at The Doctor.

"You're a…you're an alien?"

"Yup. And so are you." Elwin looked down at his feet. "Think Elwin, deep down you know." The Doctor had reached the small boy and put a hand on his shoulder. "Save the planet Elwin. Prince Tyron."

As he spoke an almighty crash rang out across the clearing and a group of trees on its far side burst into flames.

"God, if I see anymore fire." Dylan exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. The Doctor and Elwin remained motionless. "It's up to you Sire." The Doctor murmured. Elwin looked into his deep brown eyes, and something clicked. He knew. It was all clear to him. He was an alien prince from a distant planet. That was _his _spaceship lying in the ditch. The Doctor stared at the suddenly serene face in front of him and gave a tiny smile. He gently lifted his hand and gestured towards the crater with a mock bow.

With slow deliberate steps the boy called Elwin walked back across the clearing. Past the stricken Dylan, ignoring the blazing inferno behind him, and the distant explosion coming from his fellow Halons. He slide gracefully down the slope to his craft's side, and lifted a hand.

Dylan watched with bated breath as the small blonde boy tentatively laid a hand on the still and silent spaceship, just as the woods exploded around them.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

There was silence in the clearing.

Dylan had shut her eyes and thrown her arms over her head to protect it from the explosion. It had happened without any warning, no distant boom to signal a missile's arrival. That meant the ships had finally decided to end the attack. The forest had been hit by a plasma bomb.

Dylan assessed whether she had been hit. She couldn't feel any cuts or bruises, and she most certainly wasn't dead. But she had seen the trees around explode, sending splinters everywhere, not to mention the ball of fire that had advanced across the clearing. So why was she still here?

After a few moments Dylan cautiously lifted her head and opened her eyes a crack. Her breathe caught in her mouth. The clearing was awash with light. It was so bright that she couldn't see the surrounding woods anymore, if there were any left. The light was a soft blue colour, and the air seemed to hum with a sort of energy. Dylan sat up and looked around. She had been right there were the splinters and the shattered chunks of tree, but they were suspended in mid-air, twirling gracefully as if in the process of exploding.

Dylan looked over her shoulder and saw The Doctor standing stock still. He had on hand in his trouser pocket, the other resting nonchalantly by his side a serene expression on his face. He was staring past Dylan, but his eyes flickered in her direction for a second, the only movement in the eerily calm clearing.

Dylan swivelled back round to find out what The Doctor was looking at. In the middle of the clearing was a crater, but the dull looking lump of metal that had been lying in it before had transformed. It pulsed with the same blue light that surround them, it twisted it shapes and patterns on the surface of the craft. They held little meaning to Dylan but she had a feeling they were an ancient, alien language. The shapes seemed to move and curl as if they were alive, the dull metal now gleamed with energy and it was this Dylan realised that was causing the humming sound.

A small figure stood with its back to her, its hand outstretched towards the space ship. Slowly it turned around and Dylan let out a strangled gasp. Elwin. But it wasn't Elwin anymore. Like his ship he had transformed too. The small blonde boy had vanished and had been replaced by an alien prince. The pink skin was now a pale silver, and his ears where more elongated than before. He held himself with a quiet poise that immediately showed his royal bearings. But it was the eyes that threw Dylan. They had turned from a deep azure blue to brilliant purple. She had never seen anything like it, they seemed to look straight through her. She wouldn't have been surprised if he could have read her mind as he stared at her dumbfounded face.

Prince Tyron, as he now was, began to walk out of the crater. He practically glided over the ground, he reached Dylan and stopped looking down at her quizzically. The expression that crossed his face was so out of place on this elegant alien's body that Dylan burst out laughing. Elwin was still there somewhere then. Prince Tyron frowned at her for a few seconds and then joined in. After their laughter had died away a grin remained fixed on his face. Dylan stood up, she was still a head taller than him but that didn't seem to matter, his whole frame burned with authority. There was no mistaking who he was now.

"Hey Dylan." The voice was definitely Elwin's, but it had a musical quality about it now. His whole face was lit up with a beaming smile.

"Your Majesty." Dylan replied, grinning back. Prince Tyron raised his eyebrows and lifted his chin, feigning a regal air. Dylan heard footsteps behind her and turned in time to see The Doctor sauntering over. His blank expression had gone now, replaced by a very large grin. Dylan chuckled, at least he was back to normal.

"How are you feeling?" She asked the alien in front of her. He looked down at himself for a second then replied, "I feel fantastic. I'm still Elwin in a way, but I remember how I got here and what my planet looks like. Felspoon. The mountains sway in the breeze you know."

The Doctor laughed behind them. "Yes they do." Prince Tyron looked up at the tall man in front of him. "Thank you Doctor. Without you I would never have realised my heritage, and this planet would have been destroyed."

The Doctor glanced around the devastated clearing, still in a state of suspense. "Speaking of which, what happened here?" Dylan stared at the craft behind Prince Tyron's head. "Yeah, we should have been blown to pieces. What happened?"

The alien prince smirked. "When I touched the ship, a signal was sent straight to the crafts in orbit telling them to cease fire. The ship also sensed danger when I activated it, and through up a Time-Displacement Field to protect me."

"I've heard about those, TDF's. They're very rare." The Doctor was looking in awe at the blue light holding back the explosion. Prince Tyron nodded, "Yes they are. But not for Halon royalty."

"Ahhhhh." The Doctor said, nodding slowly back.

"What does it do?"

"It freezes time…well, slows it down so it's barely moving. My people invented the Time-Displacement Field, used it to avert cataclysmic disasters. Slow down time and evacuate the population, or create a solution to the problem. It was sort of a precursor to time travel. Afterward, the high council gave the technology to other species; the Halons were one of them." Prince Tyron smiled. "And our species are eternally grateful to the Time-Lords. There demise saddened us."

The Doctor's face became sad, and Dylan saw for the first time just how old he really was. A pang of sadness went through her for the lonely alien, still he wasn't alone now. She reached out and took his hand gently; he looked at her like she was somebody else for a moment, someone he longed to see. Then the moment was gone and he shook his head and smiled down at her.

"So if it's freezing time." The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her, "Sorry, slowing down time, then how do we get out of here. I mean if we just walk out of the clearing we walk into an explosion, but if we stay here eventually the explosion will reach us." The Doctor looked at Prince Tyron and grinned, the alien grinned back.

"Good point Dyl." Prince Tyron started walking back to his ship, "Stay very still, and try not to jump." Prince Tyron was now stroking the spaceship, or what looked like stroking.

"What do you mean? What's he do-"

Dylan felt like her inside where being squeezed out of her mouth. She watched as the splinters suddenly stopped spinning lazily and flew towards them at a tremendous speed. The ball of fire that was the explosion blossomed in around them and engulfed them. But Dylan could feel nothing expect the vice like pressure on her stomach. Finally, just as she thought she was going to explode from the inside, the pressure lifted and she was standing in the middle of the now war torn plain.

Dylan turned around, her head snapping from side to side a look of bewilderment plastered across her face. "What the…But we were jus…Did we teleport?"

The Doctor winked at her and she scowled back. Prince Tyron walked towards them from his spaceship. They had all shifted, even the craft. Dylan looked back towards the North woods, flames crackled hungrily at the trees. The explosion had happened. It had all happened within a few seconds of Elwin touching that ship. Dylan shook her head and stared up at The Doctor open mouthed. A smile slowly crept across her face.

"Brilliant." The Doctor beamed back. "See, I knew you were enjoying yourself." Dylan looked up at the sky; the shadows of the space ships were still visible. But they were silent now.

"Ha!" Dylan nearly launched _herself _into orbit when The Doctor suddenly shouted. He was looking back towards Trowbridge where a line of guards where all kneeling with there hands behind their heads. Dylan had forgotten about they're enthusiastic pursuers. A figure walked around in front of them brandishing a sword and waving cheerily over at them.

"Sir Tomas, how the devil are you?!" The Doctor greeted him putting on a posh accent.

"Not too bad Doctor. Just dealing with a few problems you seemed to have following you."

"Ahhh yes. Don't be too hard on them though, they were only doing their job." Sir Tomas saluted and turned back to his prisoners who flinched as he waved his sword in front of their noses.

"How did he manage to do that on his own?" Dylan asked bemused.

"He's a knight. Don't underestimate them, they could defeat an army using only a fire poker and a bucket if they needed to."

Prince Tyron was looking at the old knight almost fondly. "I will miss that human. He showed great kindness towards me."

The Doctor bounced on his toes and clapped his hands together. "Yes, I suppose we'd better say goodbye. Your army won't wait forever." Prince Tyron looked at them sadly.

"I will miss you Doctor and you too Dylan. My people will tell stories of your adventures, the Time-Lord and his human companion. A legend written throughout history."

A beautiful singing sound suddenly started up around them. It whistled through the burning trees, and seemed to drift on the breeze. The Doctor looked up and smiled, "Look Dyl, it's not all bad news after all." He leant down by her ear and pointed directly above them. Dylan looked along his outstretched arm and saw a cloud of what appeared to be multi-coloured gas. She frowned, unsure of what to make of it when a familiar voice filled her head.

_Greetings friends, I see my charge has been recovered._ _Hello, your Majesty._

"Maddy!" Dylan shouted jubilantly, "You're okay."

_Indeed I am, the hit I received merely damaged my physical form. My true form was quite unscathed._

Prince Tyron saluted the Maddigan who hovered above them as a ball of shimmering gas.

"You look lovely Maddy, although I have to admit a dragon does become you better." The Doctor grinned cheekily up at the guardian floating above her prince.

"It seems it is time I leave this planet, and return home to my people." Prince Tyron bowed to the two figures in front of him. They bowed back, but before he could turn to his ship Dylan ran forward and hugged the small prince.

"You'll make a great King…Elwin." The alien smiled and as she released her embrace.

"Goodbye my friends." He turned to leave, The Doctor giving him a small salute. The spaceship's door glided open and the prince concealed himself inside. Then with a barely audible hum the craft lifted off from the Earth and headed towards its fellow ships. It hovered for a moment; the Maddigan swirling around it protectively, The Doctor and Dylan shielded their eyes from the glare and smiled to each other. Within seconds the ship had disappeared faster than either of them could follow into the clouds above. Leaving a mangled battle field and a very confused knight behind.

~*~

"Hey! You! Doctor, where do you think you're going?"

The Doctor turned on the spot to face a very angry looking Lord Trenton marching towards him. He was accompanied by a dozen heavily armed guards.

"Lord Trenton, how are you? Long time no see, eh?" The Doctor gave one of his most charismatic smiles, but the Lord didn't even blink.

"You think you can come here, spouting stories about dragons, escape from my dungeon and then destroy my land. I'll see you never feel daylight on your face again." He was now inches away from The Doctor, his chest puffed out like an indignant cockatoo.

They were back in the small side street The Doctor had parked the TARDIS. Dylan was poking her head out of its doors, watching the scene carefully. Some of the residents had emerged from their houses as well; it wasn't everyday you got to watch your master arguing with a stranger in the street.

"It wasn't me." The Doctor retorted, his eyes wide and innocent, his hands held up in front of him.

"It wasn't you who told me all that nonsense, broke out of my jail, and-"

"Well yes, that was me. But blowing up the plain, I didn't do that."

The flustered Lord looked around at the audience building up and decided he wanted to end this fast.

"Well, that's neither here nor there. You still broke out of my dungeon after being arrested and without my consent. Guards, arrest him!" Dylan made to move out of the TARDIS, but The Doctor gave a stern look over his shoulder. The guards clanked forward and prepared to surround The Doctor, when all of a sudden a group of peasants stepped between menacing guards and The Doctor.

"What's all this? Get out of the way!" Lord Trenton was practically red in the face now. The peasants didn't move, and one rail thin woman stepped forward and glared at the group of men in front of her.

"No!"

"What did you say? How dare you vermin!!"

"Leave him alone. This man rid us of that awful beast, and you should be rewarding him not arresting him."

"YEAH!" The roar from the crowd made even the brutish guards flinch.

"Well… I-I-I-I…this out of the-the question…he has humiliated me."

"I don't think you needed him to do that for you…sir." The peasant woman smiled as the crowd laughed at her cheek. The Doctor was smirking into his chest behind them. Lord Trenton seemed to asses the situation for a moment, before deciding there were too many of them to fight off. Reluctantly he stepped through the barrier of people to The Doctor. Dylan tensed behind him, gripping the TARDIS doors.

"Doctor, on behalf of my people…I…"

"Yes…" The Doctor encouraged, Lord Trenton looked up sharply. "Don't push you luck." He hissed. "On behalf of my People, I thank you for your services. And grant you a full pardon and safe access through my land." The crowd cheered and Lord Trenton turned swiftly on his heels, marching away through the throng.

The Doctor left the jubilant and empowered peasants and strolled towards the TARDIS grinning as usual. Dylan shook her head as he entered, closing the door behind him.

"You really do manage to get out of every situation don't you?" The Doctor gave her a sideways glance as he fiddled with the controls.

"Not _every_ situation." He looked his companion up and down. "Back in your ordinary clothes then?"

"Yup, and if I never wear a dress again it'll be too soon." The Doctor chuckled.

"Enjoy the medieval period then?"

"Well…aside from the rampaging dragon, painful horse-back riding and an insane amount of pyrotechnics…yeah I did." She looked down thoughtfully at the diary she had propped open on her lap. "You know, I always wanted to be an archaeologist when I grew up, now I don't have to bother."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, "Really? I would have taken you for an astrology girl myself." Dylan snorted.

"Nope. Archaeologist."

The Doctor laughed to himself and took the handbrake off. The TARDIS wheezed as the column in the middle began to move, fading into the vortex for the next adventure.


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

The crowd looked on in shocked disbelief as the blue box faded before their eyes. A fervent whispering began amongst them, many heads pressed together discussing the wonder they had just witnessed.

At the back of the crowd a tall, hooded figure watched. It cocked its head to one side as the crowd parted revealing the empty space left by the departed TARDIS. Low whirring noise emitted from the folds of its cloak, too low for the surround peasants to hear.

_Vanguard 3, receiving you._

The tinny voice echoed in the figures hood.

_What do you report?_

_Alpha 1, we are getting closer._

The figure produced a cane from its cover and tapped it once. The crowd gasped aloud as another object disappeared before their eyes in a cloud of sparks.

**Coming soon: Episode 3-Squeaky Clean**


End file.
